Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House paints a scathing portrait of President Trump based on multiple first-hand accounts, depicting him as incompetent, incoherent and reviled by key members of his own administration.

The book's publishers announced yesterday: "Due to unprecedented demand, we are moving the on-sale date for all formats of 'Fire and Fury,' by Michael Wolff, to Friday, January 5, at 9 a.m.(local time)"

According to excerpts published by CNN, the book makes several shocking allegations including:

That former strategist Steve Bannon called the President's connections to Russia "treasonous and unpatriotic".

Donald Trump bragged that sleeping with his friends' wives "made life worth living".

That Ivanka Trump aims to be the first female President.

Mr Trump retreats to his bedroom with a cheeseburger at 6:30pm to watch TV.

That while he admires media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Mr Murdoch has called Mr Trump a 'f***ing idiot'.

That Mr Trump has difficulty recognising old friends and repeats himself constantly, causing multiple close aides to describe him as "incapable of functioning in his job".

Elsewhere in the book, Mr Wolff in his own voice describes the President as "no more than semi-literate" in terms of his reading habits and being known among his social circle for having a "wide-ranging ignorance".

The White House has attempted to block the release of the book with a cease and desist letter and has threatened legal action for libel, but legal experts believe the President is fighting a losing battle.

Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus law professor at Harvard Law School, told CNN that a libel lawsuit by Mr Trump would be a "terrible mistake" and "a nonstarter" that "no reasonable lawyer would recommend".

The book's publisher is unequivocally supporting the book, telling CNN: "We see Fire and Fury as an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse, and are proceeding with the publication."

Unfortunately for Mr Trump, the media storm around the book has doubtlessly aided its publicity, with efforts to block the release drawing further attention.